Dr. Karsan is a graduate of Indiana University, where he won awards from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute for undergraduate biomedical research. He obtained his Doctor of Medicine from the Indiana University School of Medicine. He then went on to complete both his internship and residency at Boston University Medical Center and served as Chief Medical Resident.
Following his residency, he completed clinical fellowships in both gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center. While at UCLA, Dr. Karsan received additional specialized training in advanced endoscopic procedures, including ERCPs, interventional endoscopy, and liver transplantation. He also pursued advanced clinical research training at UCLA and conducted clinical research in gastroenterology with several world-renowned physicians.
At UCLA, Dr. Karsan was nominated for Teaching Fellow of the Year by the Department of Internal Medicine and received awards including the American Gastroenterological Association Gastroenterology Research Group Award. He has been the guest speaker at various national and international medical conferences for more than two decades. In addition, he has been featured as a medical expert on WebMD and has been interviewed in print by the Associated Press and also has been featured in television and radio interviews.
While in practice, Dr. Karsan has authored three peer-reviewed gastroenterology textbooks and has written sixteen manuscripts published through the NIH on PubMed® in well-known medical journals. He served the editorial boards of several gastroenterology journals, including both his role as associate editor of The American Journal of Gastroenterology and as editor of the publication’s notable Red Section. As a result of his published work, he directs a national Gastroenterology Board Review CME course annually in various cities for physicians seeking to obtain or maintain their medical board certifications in gastroenterology. Dr. Karsan also actively maintains three separate medical board certifications.
Dr. Karsan is an active member of several professional organizations, including the American Gastroenterological Association and has been elected fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology, the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the American College of Physicians, and the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease. He is both the current chair of the Credentials Committee and serves as the International Governor for the American College of Gastroenterology. In addition, he serves as Adjunct Professor of Medicine in the Division of Digestive Diseases at Emory University School of Medicine – the highest position awarded by the dean of the university’s medical school. For the fifth consecutive year, he was named to Atlanta Magazine's 'Top Doctors' guide in gastroenterology by Castle Connolly Medical, Ltd.
He joined Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates in 2003 and is actively involved in clinical research for his primary focus of patient care.